to begin at the beginning

Saturday 19th July 2008

It came out of the blue. I still can’t believe what I said! I must have been feeling more frustrated with my life than I realised.My son, far away in Vietnam teaching English, was asking me as we typed out our chatter on messenger online, if I thought his sister would like to go out and teach for a few months. “Well, she can’t make her mind up” I found myself replying, ‘but if she won’t, I’ll do it!” He got back to me the next day to say that the Director of the English School would be glad for me to take the job and I replied that I’d be happy to do it.Later I had time to reflect. What had I done? How was I going to manage this? At 70 years of age I’ve settled into a comfortable rut of a life in my top floor flat. I live in a small Victorian resort populated in the most part by the elderly retired. I don’t regard myself as elderly and although I’m delighted to have a pension, I have no intension of being retired, thank you very much.Maybe it’s the prospect of another winter with rising costs for electric heating, not to mention the escalating price of petrol, food and everything else. Clients coming for therapy have been sporadic of late. One or two sessions of EFT are usually enough to free them of a lifetime’s unnamed anxiety that have turned into such physical ailments as a stiff neck, backache or migraine. ‘What do I owe you? Thank you and goodbye.’ They probably go away thinking that the Doctor’s tablets are doing the job at last. This is not satisfying enough for me. Another source of income is personal Care work, which pays well but can be very frustrating looking after the really elderly, and I’ve had enough!It’s true; I’ve been listless, lethargic and unmotivated, in fact all the things I am supposed to be helping my clients overcome! Instead of going out for an invigorating walk, I find myself turning on the TV and drinking coffee! Instead of exercise I keep eating comfort food! Not a good sign, especially at my age.


Sunday 20th July 2008

I have a wonderful family, my daughters and their families close enough for me to see them frequently, but not so close as to intrude on my privacy. They know I guard my independence and freedom as closely as any Aquarian. However, freedom is a double-edged sword and I have been missing the company of Mark, my eldest son, long divorced and fancy-free, who has been living with me on and off for the past two years before going abroad. He loves working in other countries and teaching English is his passion. He’s very good at his job, well respected for his work and I’m very proud of him. The thing is, I don’t know if I’d actually choose to visit Vietnam. Mark admits that the heat can be oppressive; where he lives is a sprawling, dirty place, but ‘the people are lovely!’ and how could I refute that? I consulted my daughters and sister. Surprisingly, they are all enthusiastic and think I’d be a fool not to take advantage of such an opportunity. Do I even detect a note of envy in their voices? I am free while they are not.Yes, there is no reason why I can’t go to Vietnam and teach English. In fact there is nothing to stop me going on to visit my youngest son Damian in Australia, where he's settled with his family. In January, his twin brother Rich, older by 10 mins, will be in New Zealand and what a wonderful opportunity I have to meet him there. An exploration of Google and I was ready to buy a round the world ticket! But I have to stop to think. Sleep on it.


Monday 21st July 2008

As I left the house to visit the Travel Agent this morning, I realised how my step changed to a purposeful stride, my stomach tucked in and back straightened. I began to feel young and adventurous again. That’s when I started to hit snags! Travel insurance will be expensive, even when I find one that will cover me for 6 months. That’s because of my age. Apparently at seventy I’m not supposed to be gallivanting off all over the world. I call it age discrimination and am ready to start a campaign against it, if I can muster the energy.I’m told that I should apply for a Visa from the Vietnamese Embassy as soon as possible as it will take some time to get it. However, I applied online and got an email right back, accepting my application. All I have to do now is pay for it, I think. So the next thing is to buy the ticket... and how scary is that? But first I need dates and correct Airports from all my sons!


Tuesday 22nd July 2008

Am I mad? What am I thinking of? Going round the world on my own at my age? Crazy! So what’s age got to do with anything anyway? It’s a mad adventure, that’s what! Although my eldest daughter has taken off in the past; one winter in a tipi in Spain, another winter on the beach in Goa, she would think twice about it now in her middle age. Maybe it’s all a joke and Mark never meant me to take him seriously!I’m sending desperate emails to him, as I’ve not seen online since Saturday. I need his support to deal with all the details. HELP! I can tap for that...Even though I’m panicking... feeling stressed... because I need some support here... I feel like I’m poised on the brink of a huge adventure... about to take a leap in the dark... how exciting is that! And even though I’m feeling scared... as if I’m about to freefall... I’m ready to go with the flow... if I can’t live dangerously at 70 when can I?Even though I’m getting the heebie-jeebies at the thought of leaving my comfortable, safe attic flat... I’m feeling bogged down here... like nothing’s happening... in the doldrums... and I’m ready for change... I’m up for adventure... even if Vietnam is hotter that a sauna... oh dear... I could even lose that stubborn half stone, if not more... get a detox... I could do with that... and there’ll be really good healthy food... and different company... I’m ready for that!


Wednesday 23rd July 2008

Thank goodness Mark came online this morning. His laptop had been in need of attention and was being fixed at the school. The thing is, he wants me to go out even earlier than I was planning. So maybe it will have to be mid-August... only 3 weeks away! He tells me the school is abuzz with the news that a new teacher is coming, and not only that but she is Mark’s first teacher! No pressure then?!Even though I’m getting anxious at the thought of teaching English in a foreign country... it will be a challenge... although Mark is there to guide my faltering steps... even though he’s told everyone there that I’m his first teacher... and I was... maybe I’m afraid of letting him down... although he’ll be there... to be my teacher... and I do enjoy a challenge! Yes! I can do it!Re: Travel Insurance. Do I really need it to fly? Must get a definitive answer. Later... According to our local travel agent one could be refused by any airline if not insured, so to be on the safe side it seems I must comply. Another thing; I’ve already asked for my visa to start on 23rd August so have sent a query to see if they will bring the date forward to 16th. Hope that doesn’t bugger it all up!


Thursday 23rd July 2008

I actually got up early enough this morning to go for a swim in our brand new swimming pool and it was lovely, temperature perfect, all clean and new.Well, I received an email from Vietnam with visa attachment, but on printing it out, found it contained a list of names. I thought that the wrong dates were by my name, but after a couple of email queries, realised that they just put everything in a different order than I’d expected, so it is in order, dated from 23rd August. That’s the first hurdle over and done with. It’s such a lovely day; I felt relaxed enough to suggest a day out to my daughter Julie, as I won’t be seeing her tomorrow on her Birthday, so we met for a picnic on peaceful Church island in the Menai Straits. That was great.


Saturday 26th August 2008

The past two days have been hot in the UK and even with cloud cover here in North Wales, it’s not very comfortable. How, I wonder, will I cope with the heat in Vietnam for four months? And in January I’ll get to Australia in the middle of their summer! What am I doing? I wonder how Mark is coping, or does he spend every afternoon at the air-conditioned Cinema? Although air-con is all very well and necessary, it can be noisy, as when I spent four nights in a ground floor Hotel room in Albuquerque, where the windows would not open and the noise of the AC unit kept me awake all night. Actually this is not the schedule I’d been imagining; January/ Feb in NZ, March in Australia and April in Japan, to take advantage of the seasons. However, as the saying goes, never look a gift horse in the mouth; and if this is what life is offering right now, I’m ready to accept the nag with thanks and ride off into the sunset, or rather, the sunrise.


Sunday 27th July 2008

Phoned Rich to wish him a Happy Birthday (45 today) and discussed the possibility, or not, of meeting him in NZ in January. It seems he’s not even been booked for this festival yet! Well, even if he’s not there I still want to see NZ after visiting Damian in Australia, although it won’t be the same on my own. I’m beginning to feel a little deflated and wonder if I’m doing the right thing. However, now that I’ve told everyone I’m going, I would feel foolish if I were to back down, especially now that Mark has recruited me and told the school I’m definitely coming. Not only that, but I’d be letting myself down and would, without doubt, regret not taking the opportunity to travel before I’m too old and decrepit or can’t get travel insurance.


Thursday 31st July 2008

Well I think I’m getting there! I’m in email correspondence now with Geoff at Global Village , a Round the World travel agent, to sort out price, dates and suggestions. I’ve worked out that if I can leave the school in Vietnam when it presumably breaks for Xmas, Mark could come with me overland through Phnom Pen in Cambodia, to Ankhor Wat, through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore. On 6th Jan, hopefully, I will fly to Perth to visit Damian, meeting Richard there. I’ve spoken to him and he’s keen to organise himself to accompany me on the last leg to Sidney, then New Zealand, Christchurch by 22nd Jan for the Buskers festival, Adelaide, and Auckland, coming back via Los Angeles with a short say in the Pacific, maybe Samoa, and home.


Tuesday 5th August 2008

I've done it! I finally plucked up the courage to phone Geoff with my final dates for all the flights I'll be taking around the world. The price is amazingly cheap and combined with my Travel insurance totals less than £2000, which I think is incredible. Now its done I can relax... phew!